On Friday's broadcast of NPR's "Tell Me More," Michel Martin interviewed former First Lady Barbara Bush on the occasion of her endorsing the film "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire." Mrs. Bush urged listeners to see the film and discussed her and her family's reaction to its depiction of a young urban woman's desperate struggle to escape poverty and abuse in the face of nearly insurmountable obstacles. As a service to DKos readers, provided below is a transcript of the interview.
MICHEL MARTIN: Welcome to the program. How is it that you happened to see the film "Precious"?
BARBARA BUSH: Well, for a long time our PR people have been looking for a way we could ingratiate ourselves to African-Americans in order to coax back their vote for the party, especially after what I said during Hurricane Katrina. So when the movie "Blind Side" came out, Poppy and I said, "That looks like a good, clean movie about a black person who learns to get along in a regular family. Let's see that." But the PR people said "Precious" would be better for our purposes, so we saw it instead.
MM: And what did you think of the film?
BB: Well, we were just riveted. We couldn't move out of our seats. Of course, the PR people had strapped us in pretty tight so we couldn't get up and walk out right in the middle of it. And even Poppy, who told me he was going to grab a few winks while it was running and that I should just tell him what it was about when it was over, stayed wide awake the whole time. When the lights came on his eyes were glazed and his mouth was hanging open--and he usually doesn't get like that unless he's eating dinner in Japan.
MM: What was it that struck you so deeply about the film?
BB: Well, it was just so realistic. I mean, those people are real Americans that you or I or anyone else might pass on the street or step over while climbing into our limos. Maybe some of them even live nearby. I feel, for this reason, that this movie is very important for every American to see because it's absolutely essential to understand exactly what we're dealing with here.
MM: During your time as First Lady, you focused on the issue of literacy. Talk about your impression of how literacy was handled in "Precious."
BB: Well, as you know, when my husband George Bush was in office, I worked tirelessly to promote literacy among children. And I'm proud to say that when my son George Bush was in office, he took up the cause with the same determination I had. In fact, he began reading "My Pet Goat" to those schoolchildren on September 11th on the very page where I left off the last time I read to a class. He was so determined to leave no child behind in literacy that he continued to read to them even while the terrorists were destroying our American way of life. And this is why it's so important to heed the lessons in "Precious." No matter what happens--whether your father is raping you, or you live in grinding poverty, or you constantly fear for your life just by leaving your roach-infested apartment that's not even rent-controlled--you should learn to read.
MM: I have to ask you, because you made some comments in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that hurt some people's feelings--you commented that sheltering in the Houston Astrodome was working quite well for some of the folks who were left homeless. What did you mean by that?
BB: Well, I know a lot of people took what I said the wrong way. I only meant that, since so many coloreds live in such disgusting filth and eat such awful food, the accommodations and food they were provided at the Astrodome was actually a step up for them. I don't know what people thought I meant.
MM: First Lady Barbara Bush, thank you so much for joining us.
BB: You're most welcome. Thank you for having me. And take care when you polish my pearls. They should shine as brilliantly as my beautiful mind.